1992 and 1996 it was Ross Perot who made the deficit an issue. His anti-NAFTA rhetoric also had an appeal to workers who felt there jobs had been taken or were under threat due to foreign competition. Along with the war on terror these seem to be the major issues in this year's campaign. Haven't checked the numbers but it always seemed to me that Ross's chief appeal was to white, blue-collar male voters who are often somewhat conservative on social issues but find certain economic policies, chiefly championed by Democrats, attractive; in other words swing voters. Would not have voted for Ross in the first place if they were deeply tied to either of the two major parties. Ok, he is 73, but what does a VP really have to do?